This invention relates to devices for emitting electromagnetic radiation. More particularly, this invention relates to such devices comprising nanocrystalline emissions media, and methods for making such devices. This invention also relates to systems incorporating such devices.
Lasers, and other systems for producing electromagnetic radiation, have found uses in a host of applications, and continue to be a topic of considerable interest. For example, recent progress in the area of III-V semiconductor laser diodes operating in the blue-green to ultraviolet (UV) spectral range has sparked interest in such applications as optical storage technology, laser cathode ray tubes, UV light sources for high-precision lithography, and others. However, the development of such systems has been hampered somewhat by certain technological obstacles. The fabrication of laser cavities suitable for use in these systems can be prohibitively expensive due to the materials of construction and the exacting specifications required to produce a cavity having the optical properties necessary to produce an efficient laser. Moreover, lasers tend to be very limited in available range of wavelength emitted by a given device. Therefore, what is needed is a device for producing electromagnetic radiation, such as laser radiation, that requires less costly processes for fabrication and that provides flexibility in available wavelength emission.